Related papers: The Catenary Revisited: From Newtonian Strings to …
Dvali and Shifman have proposed a field-theoretic mechanism for localizing gauge fields to "branes" in higher dimensional spaces using confinement in a bulk gauge theory. The resulting objects have a number of qualitative features in common…
Superstring theory, and a recent extension called M theory, are leading candidates for a quantum theory that unifies gravity with the other forces. As such, they are certainly not ordinary quantum field theories. However, recent duality…
Superstring theory has continued to develop at a rapid clip in the past few years. Following a quick review of some of the major discoveries prior to 1998, this talk focuses on a few of the more recent developments. The topics I have chosen…
This is mainly a brief review of some key achievements in a `hot'' area of theoretical and mathematical physics. The principal aim is to outline the basic structures underlying {\em integrable} quantum field theory models with {\em…
Recent developments in string and M theory rely heavily on supersymmetry suggesting that a revival of superspace techniques in ten and eleven dimensions may be advantageous. Here we discuss three topics of current interest where superspace…
A discussion of the number of degrees of freedom, and their dynamical properties, in higher-derivative gravitational theories is presented. The complete non-linear sigma model for these degrees of freedom is exhibited using the method of…
An alternative approach to introducing gravitational dynamics on a brane embedded in a higher dimensional spacetime is presented. The brane is treated as a boundary of a higher dimensional manifold in which the bulk action is described by a…
This course provides a self contained introduction to the general theory of relativistic brane models, of the category that includes point particle, string, and membrane representations for phenomena that can be considered as being confined…
I review recent progress on the connection between string theory and quantum chromodynamics in the context of the gauge/gravity duality. Emphasis is placed on conciseness and conceptual aspects rather than on technical details. Topics…
Recently, a topological field theory of membrane-matter coupled to BF theory in arbitrary spacetime dimensions was proposed [1]. In this paper, we discuss various aspects of the four-dimensional theory. Firstly, we study classical solutions…
The string and brane tensions do not have to be put in by hand, they can be dynamically generated, as in the case when we formulate string and brane theories in the modified measure formalism. Then string and brane tensions appears, but as…
I review certain aspects of Hanany-Witten setups and other approaches used to embed (and solve) gauge theories in string theory. Applications covered include dualities in 4 and 3 dimensions, fixed points in 6 dimensions, phase transitions…
Basics of some topics on perturbative and non-perturbative string theory are reviewed. After a mathematical survey of the Standard Model of particle physics and GUTs, the bosonic string kinematics for the free case and with interaction is…
We consider braneworld scenarios including the leading correction to the Einstein-Hilbert action suggested by superstring theory, the Gauss-Bonnet term. We obtain and study the complete set of equations governing the cosmological dynamics.…
Recently, Pani, Sotiriou, and Vernieri explored a new theory of gravity by adding nondynamical fields, i.e., gravity with auxiliary fields [Phys. Rev. D 88, 121502(R) (2013)]. In this gravity theory, higher-order derivatives of matter…
The idea of extra-dimensions has recently gone through a renewal with the hypothesis, suggested by recent developments in string theory, that ordinary matter is confined to a sub-space, called brane, embedded in a higher dimensional…
Recent criticism of higher-dimensional extensions of Einstein's theory is considered. This may have some justification as regards string theory, but is misguided as applied to five-dimensional theories with a large extra dimension. Such…
We argue that the effective theory describing the long-wavelength dynamics of black branes is the same effective theory that describes the dynamics of biophysical membranes. We improve the phase structure of higher-dimensional black rings…
A first-quantized string (and membrane) theory is developed here by using a general wave function of the string (and membrane), analogously to the first-quantized quantum theory of a point particle. From the general wave function of the…
An overview is given of the way in which the unification program of particle physics has evolved into the proposal of superstring theory as a prime candidate for unifying quantum gravity with the other forces and particles of nature. A key…